THIS is the moment a cruel cash and grab thief makes off with an 86-year-old’s savings.

Caught on CCTV, these pictures show how the frail pensioner accidentally leaves behind a large quantity of notes he has just withdrawn from a hole-in-the-wall machine.

Within seconds, another man arrives to use the cashpoint, spots the wad of cash and swipes it for himself.

And when the distressed man returns, the brazen suspect denies all knowledge and walks off with his money.

Today, detectives released footage to the Chronicle in a bid to track down the man involved and bring him to justice.

PC Gail Armstrong is leading the investigation into the theft, at the Lloyd TSB cashpoint, on Gosforth High Street, Newcastle. She said: “I believe a vulnerable, elderly man has been taken advantage of.

“He was only away from the machine for a few seconds but when he returned it was claimed there was no sign of his money.

“We’re releasing the CCTV images in a bid to trace this man as it’s important we speak to him to find out exactly what has happened.

“This amount of cash is a lot to people of the victim's age and this incident has really affected him.

“I’ve carried out extensive inquiries and I am yet to trace the man in these images.

“I'm determined to get to the bottom of what happened and would ask anyone with information to contact me as soon as possible.”

The alleged theft happened at 12.30pm on August 4 at the Lloyds TSB cashpoint, in Gosforth.

Stills from the CCTV camera show the pensioner at the machine keying in his details to withdraw the money, described by police as a “substantial amount”.

He walks away without realising it has been left behind, at which point the unknown male walks into view.

He can be seen looking at the hole-in-the-wall, before seemingly spotting the money and withdrawing it.

At this point, the 86-year-old walks back holding his wallet and asks the man about the cash he forgot. The man fails to hand it to him and it is believed he denied seeing it. He then walks away himself.

Anyone who recognises the man in the images or who has information about the incident is asked to contact PC 8335 Gail Armstrong at Etal Lane Police Station via 03456 043 043.